Roast Turkey

Turkey 
olive Oil 
Salt and Pepper 
Stuffing or Celery leaves, Onions, Lemon to season turkey cavity, if desired 
Butter

Defrosting Frozen Turkey

Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. A 20-pound bird takes 3 to 4 days to defrost in the refrigerator, about 12 hours in a sinkful of water.

Warning: Do not stuff your turkey in advance, since the stuffing could start to sour and spoil inside the bird.

Servings: Count on 1/2 pound of turkey per serving, or 1 pound per person, with leftovers.

Roast at 325 degrees F. Cooking time:
For unstuffed birds: 12 to 14 pounds, about 4 hours; 16 to 20 pounds, about 5 hours; 20 to 26 pounds, about 6 hours.
Add 20 to 30 minutes in all for stuffed birds.

Internal temperatures: 175 degrees F at the thickest portion of the leg; 165 degrees F in the breast; 160 degrees F in the center of the stuffing. Stuffing amounts are 1/2 to 3/4 cup per pound of turkey, making roughly 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of stuffing for a 14 to 16 pound bird.

Flavoring in the cavity: use salt and pepper, and a thinly sliced lemon, a small onion and a handful of celery leaves, Or use stuffing.

Using the whole turkey….Make turkey stock with the neck and scraps, see Turkey Stock recipe below. Save the liver, heart, and gizzard for giblet gravy, see Giblet Gravy recipe below.

To prepare the turkey for roasting, cut out of the wishbone, optional, and cut off the wing nubbins.

Skewer the neck skin to the backbone, and skewer or sew the cavity closed or close it with foil if using flavoring in the cavity. Not necessary if stuffing the bird.

Rub the turkey with olive oil and season with salt and pepper or your favorite turkey spice blend.. Roast breast up on an oiled rack, basting rapidly every 20 minutes or so.

Start testing rapidly for doneness 20 minutes before the estimated roasting time and note that a sure indication of approaching doneness is that turkey juices begin to exude into
the pan.

Turkey Stock

Simmer the turkey neck and scraps in enough water to cover them, skim off scum that rises to the surface for several minutes, then salt very lightly. Cover loosely and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding water if necessary. You may also wish to include chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Strain and degrease. When stock is cool, cover and either refrigerate for several days or freeze.

Giblet Gravy

First make a simple sauce, as follows. Steam the turkey bones, breaking the bones will add much more flavor, optional. Remove bones, brown sauce from bones with a little oil or butter in a heavy pan with a chopped carrot, onion and celery stalk. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of flour and brown, stirring for a minute or two.

Add a chopped plum tomato, spices, turkey stock, and water to cover. Simmer slowly, loosely covered for two hours, adding more liquid as needed.

Peel the gizzard and add it to simmer with the rest of the ingredients, removing it after about an hour, or when it is tender. Mince it.

Sauté the heart and liver briefly in butter, mince them, and add to the finished sauce along with the minced gizzard, simmering for several minutes. Strain, degrease and gently boil down to concentrate flavor.